In a land like Friuli Venezia Giulia, renowned for its white wines, in a dry year like 2022, one might have expected heavy wines, with low acidity and vivacity, but our tastings have proven otherwise. While it's true that many of this year's Tre Bicchieri awards are the result of previous vintages, and excellence has been achieved through various aging periods, six wines from the 2022 vintage have still received the highest recognition. Here, we focus on the best labels obtained in purity from Sauvignon, a grape whose origins are traced back to France, contested between Bordeaux and the Loire Valley. It seems to have arrived in Italy around the end of the 18th century, precisely through the gates of Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Some of the Sauvignons we most appreciated belong to the DOC Colli Orientali del Friuli (COF), which occupy a strip of territory about sixty kilometers long and no more than fifteen kilometers wide, with marly-limestone soils and climates that sometimes differ significantly. To the south, the mitigating action of the sea is still noticeable, while in the northern part of Cividale, only the most robust vines, such as verduzzo and refosco, resist, constituting the backbone of viticulture in those areas.
Others belong to the DOC Collio, which traditionally represents one of the best wine-growing areas in all of Italy for the production of white wines. It is a border DOC, including the hilly area near the Italian-Slovenian border. It starts in Oslavia, practically in the northern outskirts of Gorizia, and winds its way to Dolegna, more precisely to the course of the Judri river. The viticultural area is characterized by the presence of a particular type of soil, ponca, a calcareous-marly formation that also distinguishes the neighboring area of the Colli Orientali del Friuli DOC.
Still others are from the DOC Friuli Isonzo, which extends across the middle and lower reaches of the homonymous river and constitutes the easternmost part of the vast flat area that also includes the Grave del Friuli, Latisana, and Aquileia.
The Best Sauvignons from Friuli Venezia Giulia: Tre Bicchieri and Due Bicchieri Rossi
Here are the Sauvignons that have received Tre Bicchieri or Due Bicchieri Rossi, having reached the finals during the tastings for the Gambero Rosso Vini d'Italia 2024 guide:
The 2022 Collio Sauvignon by Tiare - Roberto Snidarcig, Tre Bicchieri 2024, is now an icon, a benchmark compared to the most renowned areas of our planet. It boasts a freshness and a citrusy fragrance that intoxicate the sense of smell and make tasting extremely enjoyable. Roberto Snidarcig and his wife Sandra are experiencing a period of great success for their "Tiare" brand. Every year they are protagonists of some charitable initiatives aimed at social welfare. On the back of the labels of the 2022 vintage, three bees appear accompanied by the words "Save the Bees and Farmers," with the intention of engaging consumers in the importance of these essential pollinating insects for the protection of the environment and biodiversity.
The 2021 Friuli Isonzo Sauvignon Vieris by Vie di Romans, Tre Bicchieri 2024, is intriguing to the nose, sumptuous, enveloping, and endlessly lingering on the palate. Also excellent is the 2021 Friuli Isonzo Sauvignon Piere, which made it to our finals. Gianfranco Gallo is the author of the production style of Vie di Romans, composed of rigorous viticultural choices combined with careful winemaking interpretation. His wines, especially the whites, have a strong territorial expression, supported by an imposing structure, and are marketed at least two years after the harvest. Gianfranco manages to give his wines a territorial identity characterization. The vineyards are included in the Friuli Isonzo denomination, where the soils are particularly rich in minerals, and the climate is at a crossroads between the Mediterranean and continental. Another extraordinary battery, repeated year after year, with all the wines on the threshold of entering the final selections and four that exceed it.
- Friuli Isonzo Sauvignon Vieris 2021 - Vie di Romans
- Friuli Isonzo Sauvignon Piere 2021 - Vie di Romans
With an extraordinary performance, the 2022 Sauvignon by Vigna del Lauro made it to the finals. We signal it with full merit as the most representative wine of the company. It is characterized by a marked varietal stamp of sage, boxwood, green apple, mint, and mountain pine. Vigna del Lauro was born in the last years of the last century from a project by Fabio Coser who, in collaboration with a well-known importer from beyond the Alps, embarked on a new path, adding to his prestigious brand a new reality capable of satisfying the demands of the foreign market. It immediately distinguished itself for the excellent quality-price ratio of its wines and for their excellent drinkability. Other plots were then added, some owned and others rented, which now extend for about ten hectares in the vicinity of Cormòns, partly in Collio and partly in the Friuli Isonzo denomination.
"Il Sauvignon" (as written on the label) by Grillo Iole has reached our finals for the fifth consecutive year. It captivates the sense of smell with intense gusts of boxwood and mint, then pineapple, grapefruit, and medicinal herbs that accompany the sip towards a balsamic finish. The company founded in Albana di Prepotto by Sergio Muzzolini in the 1970s, dedicated to his wife Iole Grillo, has been managed for many years by their daughter Anna, who has always personally followed the production cycle and now benefits from the energetic collaboration of her children Mattia and Giulia. The beautiful portal of an eighteenth-century villa, flanked by the votive chapel dedicated to Saint Justina, serves as the entrance to the company. The cellars of the villa, characterized by splendid stone walls, house the winery, where aging wines rest in woods of various sizes.
Excellent is the 2022 Sauvignon Locatelli by Tenuta di Angoris, articulated, complex, intriguing both on the nose and on the palate. Founded in 1648, Tenuta di Angoris is a historic company in the regional territory. In 1968 it was purchased by Giulio Locatelli, and since then it has always been managed by family members. Now it is up to Marta and Claudia Locatelli to maintain the prestige of this brand which, in recent years, relying on the expertise of the company's winemaker Alessandro Bologna, sails on the high peaks of regional excellence. The estate's vineyards extend both in the Isonzo area and on the hills of Collio and the Friuli Colli Orientali denomination. On the labels of the best wines, the Locatelli brand testifies to the family cohesion that has always been the company's strength, while the reserves are dedicated to Giulio, the founder.
Excellent is the brilliant 2022 Sauvignon de La Tour by Villa Russiz. The splendid performance of the white wines of the 2022 vintage is embellished by those that bear the wording "de La Tour," which are given a longer aging period in the bottle. The story of Villa Russiz is one of great intuition and generosity. The great intuition was that of the French count Theodore de La Tour who, in 1869, saw in the sunny hills of Collio an ideal place to live with his Austrian wife Elvine Ritter and, above all, to cultivate the vine. He is credited with introducing French-origin grape varieties to Collio. Having no heirs, Theodore and Elvine decided to donate the company and all their assets to a charitable institute that helps needy children, which is still operational.
The Madame Sauvignon Selezione Collezione di Famiglia 2021 by Ronco dei Tassi is one of the extraordinary, complex, and intriguing wines of the cellar, which also shone in the final selections. Born in 1989 at the behest of Fabio Coser, a wine expert and great connoisseur of Collio, Ronco dei Tassi is one of the most flourishing companies in the regional wine world and is still expanding and consolidating. It is now up to Marta and Claudia Locatelli to maintain the prestige of this brand which, in recent years, relying on the expertise of the company's winemaker Alessandro Bologna, sails on the high peaks of regional excellence. The estate's vineyards extend both in the Isonzo area and on the hills of Collio and the Friuli Colli Orientali denomination. On the labels of the best wines, the Locatelli brand testifies to the family cohesion that has always been the company's strength, while the reserves are dedicated to Giulio, the founder.
Excellent is the 2022 Sauvignon by Colle Duga. Damian Princic, born in 1970, already in 1991 took on the responsibility of managing the company, created the Colle Duga brand, and immediately imposed his convictions. The vineyard hectares were not many, and by drastically reducing yields, there was naturally also a drop in production. He had to clash with the mentality of his predecessors who, however, seeing the quality levels reached, had to reconsider and endorse his choices. Few labels, all of great value and personality, with indispensable typical characteristics that enhance a now consolidated style. The usual, exemplary team performance of the entire range confirms the very high quality level that Damian Princic has managed to conquer and maintain over time. All the wines presented themselves at the threshold of the final selections, and three exceeded it.
The 2022 Sauvignon Zuc di Volpe by Volpe Pasini is now a constant and regains the Tre Bicchieri. It excels in freshness and fragrance, enhancing the intrinsic qualities of the grape in a modern key. The watchword of this cellar has always been tradition and innovation. In recent decades, it has constantly surprised us both for the rigorous respect for tradition, rooted in the 18th century, and especially for innovation, all in an incredible balance. The vineyards are increasingly cared for with maniacal attention, while the cellar renews its high technological profile every year. Emilio and Alessandro Rotolo, together with Edi Clementin, now represent a unique spur to the more than admirable company team.
The 2022 Collio Sauvignon by Schiopetto is an extraordinary wine. Mario Schiopetto, a legendary figure in modern Italian oenology, passed away in 2003, but his constant quest for quality excellence and his restless and visionary spirit continue to be present in this historic, iconic cellar. Perfumed, fresh wines with great structure and endless longevity continue to be consistently produced for over 50 years in Capriva. Emilio and Alessandro Rotolo, together with Edi Clementin, have totally embodied this mission and, with Lorenzo Landi, are the authors of the magnificent battery presented to us this year.
The 2021 Sauvignon Lastris by Denis Pizzulin, which we already praised in the previous edition of the Guide, stands out from the competition in the crowded field with which it had to compete and conquers access to the finals. The olfactory plot is dominated by varietal scents of rosemary flowers, sage, lychee, and mint on a gentle trail of green pepper and smoky touches. On the hills of Prepotto, Denis Pizzulin's company operates with only 11 hectares of vineyards, divided into several plots, in a territory with a millennia-old winemaking tradition. The soils are composed of a mixture of sandstone and marl, ideal for vine cultivation, extending into a sunny valley protected from the cold winds of the north by the Julian Alps. The few labels and the small size allow him to operate with expertise and meticulousness throughout the production chain.
The 2021 Collio Sauvignon Cicins by Attems made it to our finals. The first document attesting to the possession of lands dedicated to viticulture in Collio by the Attems dynasty dates back to 1106. A millennial tradition that has made this company a reference point in the territory, with Count Douglas Attems as the protagonist in the recent past. Since the beginning of the current century, this thriving reality has merged with the historic Tuscan cellar of the Marchesi Frescobaldi, and a new cycle has begun, relying on the winemaking experience of Daniele Vuerich and the agronomic management of Gianni Napolitano. Same labels as last year, different vintages, almost identical evaluations. A consistency that certifies a consolidated quality level across the board, enhancing the peculiarities of Collio without compromising the dignity of the flat territories. From these latter come fragrant and linear wines that stand out for their pleasantness on the nose and palate.
The 2021 Sauvignon Corvatis by Murva offers fragrant reverberations of candied cedar and mint. Murva, which in the lexicon of neighboring Slovenia identifies the mulberry tree, is a symbol of tenacity and stubbornness. Tenacity and stubbornness are the intrinsic qualities of Alberto Pelos and Renata Pizzulin, a young couple who in 2009 decided to create their own production reality on the right bank of the Isonzo. Few vineyards available but much experience and winemaking ability, and Alberto's wines immediately gained the spotlight. They are marketed after adequate bottle aging in a new, fully insulated building built for this purpose.
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